| PERSPECTIVE |
|
| Year : 2018 | Volume
: 7
| Issue : 1 | Page : 13-17 |
|
|
Pushing the boundaries of research on human resources for health: fresh approaches to understanding health worker motivation
Aarushi Bhatnagar1, Kerry Scott2, Veloshnee Govender3, Asha George4
1 Oxford Policy Management Ltd., New Delhi, India
2 Independent researcher, Bengalaru, India
3 Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
4 University of the Western Cape, Bellville, Cape Town, South Africa
Correspondence Address:
Kerry Scott
Independent researcher, Bengalaru
India
 Source of Support: This work was financially supported by a grant from the WHO Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, Geneva, Switzerland. Health Systems Global provided support in kind by providing a platform through which to foster a broader community engaged with raising the profile of research on human resources for health, while constructively revisiting its character and boundaries. Asha George is supported by the South African Research Chair's Initiative of the Department of Science and Technology and National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa (Grant No. 82769). Any opinion, finding and conclusion or recommendation expressed in this material is that of the author and the NRF does not accept any liability in this regard, Conflict of Interest: Veloshnee Govender is a technical officer at the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, which is an international partnership hosted by the World Health Organization DOI: 10.4103/2224-3151.228422
  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/2224-3151.228422
|
|
|
A country's health workforce plays a vital role not only in serving the health needs of the population but also in supporting economic prosperity. Moreover, a well-funded and well-supported health workforce is vital to achieving universal health coverage and Sustainable Development Goal 3 to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. This perspective article highlights the potential of underutilized health policy and systems research (HPSR) approaches for developing more effective human resources for health policy. The example of health worker motivation is used to showcase four types of HPSR (exploratory, influence, explanatory and emancipatory) that move beyond describing the extent of a problem. Most of the current literature aiming to understand determinants and dynamics of motivation is descriptive in nature. While this is an important basis for all research pursuits, it often gives little information about mechanisms to improve motivation and strategies for intervention. Motivation is an essential determinant of health worker performance, particularly for those working in difficult conditions, such as those facing many health workers in low- and middle-income countries. Motivation mediates health workforce performance in multiple ways: internally governing health worker behaviour; informing decisions on becoming a health worker; workplace location and ability to perform; and influencing willingness to engage politically. The four fresh research approaches described can help policy-makers better understand why health workers behave the way they do, how interventions can improve performance, the mechanisms that lead to change, and strategies for empowering health workers to be agents of change themselves.
|
|
|
|
| [FULL TEXT] [PDF]* |
|
 |
|
